


Lost inside (Adorable illusion and I cannot hide)

by Kismetcanbiteme



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Magic, Angst, Enemies to Lovers, Eventual Smut, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Ice Queen!Clarke, powers because why not?, snarky!Lexa
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-05
Updated: 2020-08-05
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:20:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24015094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kismetcanbiteme/pseuds/Kismetcanbiteme
Summary: Her spine straightens and her blue eyes dart around the room from face to face. It feels like it's full of strangers. Even the ice guards, sworn into her command as payment for extending their life well past its end date, only look at her solemnly.“What-” she rises from the throne as the sentries make their way forward. “What is this?” she hisses.Heda has on a full blown smirk when Clarke meets her jade eyes.“This is a coup.”An Ice Queen!Clarke AU
Relationships: Clarke Griffin/Lexa
Comments: 12
Kudos: 91





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Because honestly why not? We love a good enemy to lovers trope. Also if you'd like to bother me on tumblr I'm at https://kismetcanwriteme.tumblr.com/

The ice queen lives up to her name. That's the only thing that comes to mind as Lexa is dragged before the throne and forced down to her knees. Her breath fogs the air in front of her as the ice witch herself looks down at the supplicant Heda, ruler of the 12 clans.

She doesn’t smirk, doesn't posture or monologue, something Lexa has always admired, she… considers. She gazes down like a bird of prey on an injured rabbit.

“Well.” she says “I suppose there’s a reason you're here.”

Right to the meat of it then. She can work with that. “Is there a question there?” she asks. Lexa’s always been a bit more willing to play and goad and whittle her way into what she wants.

The stony gaze of the queen doesn’t falter and she makes an impressive display in her tight pants and boots and heavy long furs wrapped snugly to her. The bones and ice and metal woven into the pelts make it look dangerous and fearsome, while the white makeup and silver diadem complete the effect. Frighteningly beautiful. 

“Let me rephrase that for your convenience.  _ Why  _ are you here?”

“I’m here to make a deal.” she replies 

The ice queen scoffs “You hardly seem to be in a position to make deals” she gestures around to her court and the guard surrounding them. Their eyes are dull, their faces translucent. Not human, not anymore. The court is real at least, flesh and blood and a fear that Lexa can practically smell.

This hardens her resolve. “My army is just outside the gates. Surrender, join the coalition and you keep your throne, or become a prisoner of the coalition. Simple as that.”

The queen’s stony face cracks and the smooth ice glazing her cheeks splinters as she grins and the laugh that escapes her blue lips is like glass shattering against brick.

No one else laughs. Lexa looks on impassive, She had expected this

When the queen moves past her mirth, she cocks her head to the side as serious as death “And if I kill you first? If I freeze your blood in your veins or stake a shard of ice through your heart or have my guards throw you from my tower? What then? Who will give your army the command to march on Azgeda?”

Lexa smiles softly then “Your first two options, while imaginative, won’t work and you know it. You’ve tried before. Your third option…” she paused pretending to consider “now that option does have merit, I see no reason why that couldn’t work in your favor.”

The queen rolls her eyes “Mockery is not the product of a strong mind,  _ Heda _ ” she sneers, turning her title into an insult “A helpful tip. When you are at the mercy of the enemy, the proper technique for survival is  _ begging. _ ” 

“I’ll keep that in mind if I’m ever in that situation.”

“I think you’ll find the current situation is the perfect time to practice.”

The sun is beginning it’s descent, seen in the wide windows behind the Azgeda Queen's throne and really Lexa just wants to go  _ home _ . Enough of this.

“Alright,” she says, standing “We’re done here, Never let it be said I didn’t give you an out, Clarke.”

No guard moves to stop her. No one seems surprised at all that Heda has waved off the ice sentries that held her down. Clarke, however, looks stone cold shocked.

Her spine straightens and her blue eyes dart around the room from face to face. It feels like it's full of strangers. Even the ice guards, sworn into her command as payment for extending their life well past its end date, only look at her solemnly. 

“What-” she rises from the throne as the sentries make their way forward. “What is this?” she hisses.

Heda has on a full blown smirk when Clarke meets her jade eyes.

“This is a coup.”

With that the ice queen’s own soldiers lunge forward, she manages to rip her magic from six of them, bodies falling uselessly to the ground before they can reach her. This does nothing to Lexa’s flesh and blood soldiers that pour in like ants on honeycomb into the palace. 

Heda watches her calmly as she fights like a wildcat clawing and killing without mercy freezing men solid and cutting through them with her frozen blades until the floor runs red and she is panting.

Amid the chaos Lexa walks forward leisurely, letting her howl and rage and take out soldier after soldier. She thinks Clarke looks tired, a bone weary kind of tired that doesn’t just come from battle. It's why she feels so good about what she does next.

“Are you finished?” she asks, less than a foot away from where Clarke has taken out most of the soldiers surrounding her. The rest back out of Heda’s way. 

In response Clarke lets out a furious scream and rushes forward. 

She really wishes it didn’t have to be this way

Flames flare from her palms that reach clear up to the ceiling and incite gasps from the frightened court; they fall back to flicker menacingly and she sees Clarke hesitate. 

The hesitation is gone in the next minute as she has to dodge each assault of ice and fists and blades. The ice queen is angry and desperate, never a good combination.

So Heda lets her wear herself out, blocking blasts of ice and snow with shields of hot air so they splash uselessly to the ground, never offensive, always defensive, until Clarke has used the last of her reserves and collapses into her arms. Lexa tries to ignore the smell of fur burning on her white hot palms as she bundles the ice queen coat and all into her arms. The heat surrounding Lexa’s body will keep her well sedated on their journey back to Polis.

She carries the limp body of the queen out the grand double doors of the palace into the street of Azgeda’s capital. The people peek out of their windows and step into the doorways of their shops. Most know better than to question the procession of soldiers and Azgeda's ambassadors 

It’s all rather simple from that point. She leaves the delegation of ambassadors and her most trusted general to care for the people she leaves queenless and frightened. 

Heda brings the ice queen home to Polis, praying to every deity she can think of that she won’t have to kill this woman.


	2. Chapter 2

Clarke doesn’t remember much of the journey to Polis. Partly because she was exhausted, and empty. Like always. 

Partly because Lexa’s oppressive warmth had kept her floating in the doldrums of her own mind, eyes low and hazy as her head lolled against Heda’s shoulder guard moved by the rocking of her warhorse. It was pitiable how weak and kittenish the overly warm warrior had made her in this moment 

She's a  _ queen.  _ And even as she lulls senseless in the arms of the enemy, she swears Lexa will be reminded of that fact sooner rather than later. 

Unfortunately, she doesn’t get the chance because as she notices Clarke stirring, Lexa smirks that infuriating smirk of hers and increases her grip on Clarke along with her body heat until Clarke is positively  _ melting. _

Against her will, her eyes slip closed and her world goes black

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

_ Lexa rushed frantically around her quarters gathering the necessary supplies, furs and weapons. “And are you sure this will work, Anya? You’re positive?” _

_ Kohl and leather oil was tossed heedlessly into the sack at her feet. _

_ Her general sighed still stood at attention before her looking resigned to Lexa’s frantic scrabbling “I only know what the crone told me, Heda. It is possible, but incredibly difficult” she stressed “It is possible one or both of you could die, Leksa” _

_ She turned at her given name “And what option do I have? Azgeda expands its border further every month without anyone to regulate it. As it is, the clans press for war every day.”  _

_ “There is another option, Leksa” the general sighed _

_ Green eyes flashed and the smell of smoke permeated the room “No.” _

_ “No one would think less of you.” _

_ “I would think less of me” she shot back _

_ Anya softened and grabbed the leather bridle Lexa’s hands were scorching, placing it on the table behind her. She took her face in her hands brushing her dark curls back. “By executing her you would be preventing a war that would kill thousands” she murmured  _

_ Lexa’s eyes brimmed with tears that left red streaks as they sizzled down her cheeks. “Let me try it my way, Fos.” she pleaded, though she no longer needed her first’s permission for anything anymore as Heda “Let me try.” _

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<

She wakes up cold again and heavily restrained. Chains run the length of the room keeping her arms held taut and bitterly sore. She must have been held kneeling in this cell for a while. Her heavy furs have been removed and she kneels in her pants and thin shirt on the now frozen cement. A window toward the top of the cell lets in little light.

She never saw the point of windows in prisons. It was almost cruel. Windows give an illusion of freedom, a tease that says "the outside world is still waiting out there, and  _ you can’t have it". _

That sort of deceit never appealed to Clarke as a ruler.

No guards are posted at the door and not a sound can be heard from outside. Just as well. Guards would prove rather useless against her. She supposes idly that Heda will make an appearance to flash her a smirk or a wink and throw her defeat in her face.

Killing her is first on the agenda at the first chance if Lexa will give her one.

Although she did keep her alive.

Her funeral.

As if on cue, the sound of a lock turning brings her focus to the heavy wooden door of her cell.

A slim woman in leather leans against the wall across from her eyes unreadable beneath the black kohl

“Heda.”

Lexa regards her for a long charged moment before speaking “Staging a coup wasn’t difficult.” 

That stings. Still she can’t deny the truth “No, I’d expect not. I was far more feared than loved.”

“That makes for a shaky rule” she replies

Clarke tires of this. The feigned nonchalant quips and even expressions. It smacks too much of Azgeda’s brand of diplomacy. Being the ice queen for the past three years had soured her stomach to the taste of false platitudes. 

The longer Lexa stands in the room the more it heats. Clarke’s frost drips down the walls slowly. 

“Will you kill me?” she asks.

“Not if I don’t have to”

“A mistake. I’d kill you.” Clarke offers like a reassurance.

“I know.” There is an undercurrent there, something fluttering and nervous as the room swelters and Lexa pushes herself from the wall coming forward until she looms over her prisoner.

For the first time in a while she's making Clarke nervous.

Lexa leans closer even as Clarke bares her teeth, kneeling down so their knees touch. Her expression is unreadable but she brings her face so close that Clarke can count her lashes. She leans back as far as the chains will let her but Lexa presses forward eventually pressing her cheek against hers and laying a hand on her chest the other hooked around the back of her neck. Heda is shaking and Clarke is struck silent.

Lips brush her ear as Lexa whispers “For what I must do now, I beg your forgiveness."

A flicker of fear shoots through Clarke at that, an apologetic Lexa is never a good sign, only proven when the warm hand on her chest grows so hot she hisses through her teeth in pain. To her shock and revulsion Lexa’s hand sinks forward into her chest cavity with a nauseating  _ crunch  _ . Tears flow steadily as her lungs make desperate pleas for air. Lexa is crying too, sobbing as her hand sinks deeper. She thought she knew what pain was but her chest is burning from the inside and she screams guttural and harsh as long hot fingers wrap around her beating heart and  _ pull.  _ The pain is exquisite.

And then it is over. Clarke sucks in air like a dying woman and looks up at Lexa, who has scrambled back with her prize.

Lexa has her heart in her hand

Lexa has her  _ heart  _ in her  _ hand _

And to her unending horror  _ it's still beating _

Clarke slumps, panting. The pain isn’t gone, but it's duller now. Through heavily lidded eyes she sees Lexa gawking at the pulsing thing in her hand. It's not red or pink or any other color she’s seen on an organ. It's the color of rotting flesh, and it's frozen solid

The ice queen feels an irrational stab of shame and embarrassment as she looks at the dark thumping thing. And then Lexa does something that she will never understand.

Lexa takes the ugly mangled heart in her hand and shoves it inside her own chest.

She closes her eyes and lets loose a miserable whimper, because she can still feel the stupid thing and the warmth in Lexa’s chest is incredible. The layer of ice that had surrounded her and covered the chains began to melt rapidly and Clarke realizes what Lexa has done to her.

She can’t breath to say anything, but the look in her eyes must be murderous, because Lexa is up rushing away from her frantically 

  
When thick ice is heated too quickly it shatters, so it must have felt like glass shards scraping into Lexa’s chest as it went in.  _ Good,  _ she thinks.


End file.
